Life in La Push
by lovelyvibes
Summary: This is a story about Melanie Greene and her new life in La Push. Starting from 6th grade and progressing through high school. PaulxOC (IMPRINT STORY!)
1. Reuniting with an Old Friend

**Author's Note: This is my first Fanfic! Also, I do NOT own Twilight.**

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Chapter One: Reuniting with an Old Friend

(6th grade)

"MELANIE!" My mother called from down the hall. "I hope your ass is ready for school." Impatience etched in her hoarse voice.

I winced at hearing her yell as I quickly finished braiding my hair. Giving myself a quick once-over my straight midnight black hair was braided at the top halves of my head, my lightly tanned skinned was the same as ever, and my dark brown eyes complimented it well. Plain though. As my mother always said. Letting out a quick sigh I slowly walked out of my room with my backpack in hand down the hallway of my long gone father's home to my awaiting mother in the living room. "Yes, mom, I'm ready!" I responded.

She stood there pointedly once I got to her, looking at me up and down checking for any way to insult me. She found them almost instantly. "Your braids look stupid," She started, eyes narrowing. "and fix your sweater. It's crooked."

As small as her targets were, she still managed to make me squirm. I hated it. But I wouldn't dare say that aloud, I was scared. My mother, although she was my birth-giver, she made my life a living hell. For as long as I could remember she seemed to hate me. It wasn't until recently when I realized it was because I was her reminder of my father. I made my father leave the day he found out she was pregnant, and that left her angry. Not only at him, but at me as well and she never let me forget it.

Rather than keeping her waiting and even more fuming, I looked down at my outfit - a simple pair of jeans, black Converse, a white blouse, and my grey cardigan which was slightly crooked from my rushed, uneven buttoning. Holding in the sigh I had within me, I adjusted it. I looked at my mother, all she did was nod so I slung my backpack on before leaving.

It was my first day going to the La Push Middle School and I felt nervous. I was new after all. I had moved from the Makah Reservation in the middle of the year since my mom felt that because my father left when she pregnant, he owed her. So by taking possession of his former home, his debt was paid for the time being. According to her that is. The whole matter seemed rather childish, and that's coming from a sixth grader! But if it kept her from being angry even at the slightest then I was perfectly fine with it.

As I made my way to the school, I took the scenery in - moss and trees everywhere. Even sand since First Beach was literally just a walk away from my home and the school. The sky was cloudy, peaceful. They were downcast too, but not enough to rain. I was grateful for that since I only had a cardigan on. Sighing again, the school came into view.

_Here goes nothing. _I thought. And I made my way to La Push Middle School for my first day in the sixth grade.

I checked my watch, 7:55 A.M., and my eyes widened. _Crap! I have five minutes to get to the office and get my schedule, otherwise I'm late._ I thought, panicking. _But where on earth was it?_ This was really bad. My mom was going to be pissed if I'm late! And even more panic rushed through me.

Before I knew it, I bumped into someone in my haste. "Oh! I'm so sorry!" I said instantly. Even more panic overcame me. I definitely did NOT want trouble on my first day of school.

The mystery person I bumped into turned around. Russet skin tone, dark hair, and dark eyes of the Quileute Reservation males came into view. He looked a couple of years older than me and definitely taller than my 4'10" frame. His hair was cropped short and his expression seemed carefree and calm. Although, he did seem thrown off by my immediate apology. "It's fine!" He said surprised, most likely due to my panicked state. I could've sworn I saw a flash of recognition but maybe I was imagining things.

I bit the inside of my cheek and looked down. "Are you sure? I don't want to cause any trouble..." I said nervously.

The boy spoke, causing me to look up, "Seriously, it's fine." He sounded reassuring and that was definitely something that I needed right now. "You seem lost though... you must be new. You need any help with anything?"

This time I bit my lip and nodded. If help was being offered, then I was gonna take it. No way was I about to let my shyness get the best of me. "Can you tell me how to get to the front office?" I asked bashfully. You win some, you lose some. At least I asked when I had the chance.

"Keep going straight into the school then make a right. Should be on left." He said amused. Why was he amused?

"Thanks!" I beamed.

"Anytime Melanie."

That threw me off for a second until I put the voice and expression together, then it hit me - this was Sam! A family friend of mine who always came around. He was practically like an older brother to me. Most of my memories of him were pretty hazy though. Honestly, I don't think I would've been able to recognize him until this very moment. And that was a pretty scary revelation. "Sam?" I asked, wide-eyed.

He laughed at my expression. "SOMEONE forgot about me" He teased.

"Hey, not my fault! You look so different!" I said defending myself before hugging him. That wasn't a complete lie. His appearance was a slight factor in my lack of memory of him.

He rolled his eyes. "Just cause I grew doesn't make me different." He said, hugging me back.

We released and I shook my head. "Your hair too!" I said, staring. "You cut it." I recalled the last time I saw him at least. I was in the fourth grade while he was in the eighth, long-haired and all. But nothing else came up after that. Only fuzzy images.

"Long hair's a hassle. Plus, it's better short." He said, running his hand through his hair.

Now it was my turn to roll my eyes. "I like it better long." I pouted.

"Get to the office already, Mel. You're gonna be late." He warned.

"So are you, Sammy!" I retorted, before taking off to get my schedule.

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**Review please! I love feedback. (: Thanks for reading though. **


	2. Meeting New People

**Author's Note: I still do not own Twilight. Also! I'd like to apologize in advance to those who follow my story about the updates you may be receiving. Like I said before, this is my first Fanfic so my editing and such is still in work. I hope you enjoy this chapter though!**

**Melanie gets to meet another certain Quileute boy. **

**(Hint: It's not Paul. He'll be introduced soon though, I promise!)**

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Chapter Two: Meeting New People

I made my way to the front office within the remaining minutes I had left of the five I was trying to use to get there and swiftly entered.

My quick entrance became announced as the door slammed loudly behind me, I winced as the receptionist looked up to meet mine. Her gaze was friendly which caused me to smile as I approached her desk. It was a small blue one with paperwork strewn across it as well as nick knacks and office supplies. Seemed pretty standard for a receptionist and her inviting attitude was up to par with it too.

"Hello, I'm Miss Allison!" She greeted calmly. She stood at about 5'6" with the traditional Quileute dark hair, russet skin tone, and dark brown eyes. She was slender, easily told by her white button-up and black slacks and she didn't look any older than 35. Her tranquility seemed familiar, but it could've been nothing. The receptionist vibe seemed halted with the use of her first name though, it made me wonder why she chose not to use her last but I didn't question it. In fact, I thought nothing of it. "You must be new huh?"

I nodded. "I'm Melanie." I said timidly.

Once hearing my name, she began to look through her strewn paperwork for what was probably my schedule. "Melanie... Melanie... Melanie..." She murmured as she searched for it. Before I knew it she found it and said, "Aha!" in victory.

"Melanie... Uley?" Her gentle voice turned into slight confusion. "Correct?"

I would've smiled but her expression prompted to stop and I nodded slowly, confused as well. "Yep, that's me. Melanie Greene-Uley." I said, looking at her with furrowed brows. "My mom prefers Greene though..." Hoping my explanation would stunt her confusion.

She seemed to snap out of it and nodded furiously. "Sorry about that! Just.. that..." She trailed off and stopped once she met my gaze. "You know what? Never mind."

My confusion never ceased. "You sure, ma'am?" I asked softly.

Her expression went back to its tranquil state and she nodded. "Here you go hun." She said handing me my schedule. "Your homeroom is just down the hall to the left."

I opened my mouth to ask about my other classes and my tardiness but she beat me to the punch by saying, "I'm sure your teacher'll pair you up with someone to help you find your way. Don't even worry about being late either. You're new after all." She seemed to have a ghost of a smile after she said that, her calm expression became eerie. She looked sad, and something in my gut told me that it was because of what had just happened. I felt guilty but I hoped it wouldn't show.

"Oh, alright." I said said nodding and giving her a small smile before walking through the other doors into my homeroom class. As I passed the office window, Miss Allison had her head buried in her hands as she shook her head.

Did that mean something? Was there a chance that she knew my dad or worse... was she WITH my dad? I shook my head, letting those thoughts pass. I would just bring it up to my mom after school. Maybe today wouldn't be SO bad, and she'd actually lay off for once. Afterall we just arrived, she couldn't have had her drinks stashed away already. Or at least I hoped she didn't have them yet otherwise the conversation wouldn't end so well. I sighed, letting _those_ thoughts pass and I looked down at my schedule:

**First Period - Homeroom**  
**Second Period - Language Arts**  
**Third Period - Social Science**  
**Lunch**  
**Fourth Period - Math**  
**Fifth Period - Science**  
**Sixth Period - Physical Education (P.E.)**

I checked my watch: 8:10 A.M.

_Ten minutes late. That's not too bad._ I thought before knocking on the dark wooden door of the classroom. I could hear the chatter through the door and the teacher's shrill attempt at getting them to settle down. Although she didn't seem to get them to do so, my knock seemed to. The door opened and she smiled, "Hello, you must be new." She said nicely, but her tone was tired and flustered from the class's disobedience. It didn't suit her though, she looked about 23 but her brown hair was pulled back by a clip and her sweater vest was crumpled from within the first ten minutes of class, not to mention the slightly darkened circles that were a couple of shades darker than her smooth russet skin underneath her eyes indicating how tired she really was. Which aged her more than it should, but it actually made her look more like a teacher. "What's your name?"

"Melanie." I answered nodding. "Melanie Greene." She nodded, placing her hand on my shoulder, and began to lead me to the front of the classroom. Anxiety washed over me. I was not used to this, being new and all, and I knew by time I was in sight, everyone would stare. Which was absolutely correct.

Once she led me to the the front of the class, they stared. All dark brown eyes on me and I could feel a slight flush reach my cheeks and I looked down. God, this was so embarrassing! The desire to disappear became strong and I questioned why my mother had chosen to move in the middle of the March than wait until the summertime was truly beyond me. But hey, I was probably going to get stared at one way or another.

"Class, this is Melanie Greene." She said, causing me to look up at everyone's gazes with an awkward smile. "Be nice everyone! She's still new, and since it's the middle of the school year I think it'd be best for someone to show her the ropes during this period." Her gaze began searching the desks for an open spot which I followed with my own, and stopped with hers as she found one in the back corner next to a should-length dark haired boy which matched with his eyes. "Jacob Black."

She told him to raise his hand, so I could find my way to him, and I immediately made me way towards him to get away from stares of my new peers. "Hey," He greeted and looked at me as I sat down and set my belongings on my desk.

"Hi," I said returning his gaze. He was at least a couple of inches taller than me and still growing. He didn't look proportioned though, he was tall in height but small in weight. It made him look awkward, but if he was growing then his weight would settle that. "Nice to meet you Jacob."

"Yeah, nice to meet you too." He said, smirking. "I have a question."

I tilted my head in curiosity. "Ask away."

His eyes never left mine. "Do you have cooties?" He asked seriously.

I looked at him and blinked. "No, do you?" I answered, just as seriously. Although, it was pretty much my way of playing along with where he was going with this. My hope was it was his way of striking up a friendship with me.

"Nope!" He said proudly. I looked at him questioningly. "Now we can be friends." I was right and I was actually happy about that.

"So, you ask everyone who's about to be your friend if they have cooties?" I asked, raising an eyebrow in amusement.

He nodded, "Better safe than sorry as my dad always says."

I stifled a laugh, I wasn't about to judge though. Making a friend made my first day much better than I expected it to be.

"But anyway, can I see your schedule?" He asked. I nodded, and handed it to him. "Looks like you have second and third with Quil then third and fifth with Embry, and only this class and sixth with me."

"Who's Quil and Embry?" I asked.

"My friends." He stated. "I'll introduce you to them after class."

Once the bell rang, we went up two boys. One was taller, much slender than the the other who was shorter with slight chubbiness on his face. They both had the usual brown eyes and raven black hair. Although, the taller one had russet skin like Jacob the other had dark skin and an impish grin that seemed to fit his appearance. "Hey guys!" Jacob said, giving them both hi-fives. "Meet Mel." His thumb pointed in my direction.

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**Thanks for reading! (: **


	3. Paul Lahote

**Author's Note: I do not own Twilight! Just my OC. Anyway, I'd just like to thank those who've been reading and favoriting/following my story. It truly means a lot to me. Also, I'd like to let everyone know who have been reading my story that I'll try to update everyday. I have faith in my story, and I'm glad all you guys do! Thank you so much. (:**

**By the way, I'll be wrapping up the 6th grade events soon, I promise! They're just a couple events that I'd like to get out there before going onto 7th grade. Stay tuned!**

**But for those awaiting the meeting of Paul... well, here it is!**

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Chapter 3: Paul Lahote

"Hey there," I said awkwardly waving to the both of them. They both looked at me, then exchanged glances as if having a silent conversation with their eyes. I felt nervous, hoping that they'd be as easygoing as Jacob was at being my friend. You could never go wrong with making more friends. Plus, they seemed to be his best friends. Which meant I needed their stamps of approval in order to continue having a friendship with him, as well as gain one with them.

I simply waited.

They both nodded, and the taller one of the two introduced himself as Embry Call and the one with the impish grin obviously introduced himself at Quil Ateara.

Quil took a step forward towards me, while Embry stayed behind looking amused. "So, you're Melanie?" He asked, a glint of mischief in his eye pairing perfectly with his grin.

I nodded. _Where on earth was he going with this?_ I thought.

He cut to the chase once I nodded, "Do you have cooties?" He asked and both Embry and Jacob started laughing.

"No," I said shaking my head. "I don't, do _you_?"

He shook his head and stuck his hand out. "Welcome to the group." He said approvingly.

I laughed and shook his hand. "Great to be in it." I said smiling.

"Both of you two take care of her these next two periods!" Jacob ordered, which couldn't be taken seriously as he grinned. But it didn't stop Embry or Quil from nodding solemnly.

"Aye, aye captain!" Quil said, saluting him before whisking me off to language arts.

The next two periods became blurs to me, and lunch came around. Both Embry and Quil escorted me to their table within the cafeteria right when the bell rang. It was between two other tables with other sixth graders chattering, one table was loud and rowdy while the other was just enjoying their lunch. I ended up getting stared at by some, but it didn't bother me as much as it had during first period. Jacob was already seated, probably waiting for us.

"Here we are, milady." Quil said, faking a British accent once we arrived.

I laughed. "Why, thank you sir." I said before taking a seat next to Jacob. Quil took the sit in front of me and Embry took the seat next to him.

"Glad to know you guys kept her in one piece." Jake said, flashing a thumbs-up at the two boys in front of us.

"Told ya we would!" Quil said grinning, as if passing off his near attempt at dragging me to the cafeteria as nothing.

Embry rolled his eyes. "Don't worry Jake. Mel was fine, except when Quil almost knocked her over trying to get her over here." He said, snickering. My cheeks flushed slightly at the memory of that embarrassing moment.

"HEY! That was not my fault!" Quil shouted, facing Embry with slightly narrowed eyes. "I just wanted to get outta that classroom already."

"You dragged her out of her seat, dude." Embry pointed out. In whole honesty, Quil did want to get out of class. It was just too spontaneous for me; I couldn't get out of my chair fast enough until he grabbed my arm and practically dragged me to the cafeteria before Embry convinced him to let go.

"She's fine, no need to complain about it now." Quil grumbled before taking a bite out of his sandwich with one hand and waving Embry off with his free one. Embry shrugged and did the same, while Jake shook his head both of them before laughing.

"So, I ask you to take care of her and you nearly pull her arm off?" He asked before taking a swig of his milk.

"Yeah, yeah." Quil said waving him off this time.

I rolled my eyes at the both of them and began eating the apple I packed. We all chatted about random things, Quil would argue every now and then with either Embry or Jake, and I just sat there on the side laughing at their stupidity. Once their banters ceased and they began to name all the other students in the building starting from the ones closest to the doors ending with the hyper table behind ours.

"And that guy over their is Paul Lahote." Jacob named, indicating with his thumb at the boy who sat at the corner of the table. I turned slightly to get a look at him - he had deep brown eyes, black hair, and his russet skin indicated his normality among everyone else. He was also probably the loudest of his friends, but mostly reserved; he'd laugh or smirk every now and then, but when it came to expressing his point or telling a story he'd say it louder so everyone else would listen. It was fascinating, and honestly he was actually pretty cute but I stopped staring when his gaze met mine rather than focusing on his friends, almost immediately I turned to face the rest of the guys. I could already feel the flush on my cheeks.

"Hey," Quil said, catching my attention. "He's staring at you."

I met Quil's eyes with confusion. "What?"

"Paul Lahote's staring at you." He said his confusion mirroring mine. I remained silent, already feeling the flush turn into blush.

"Don't bother though." Jake said. I turned my head to face him. "He's trouble. His temper's pretty bad."

"What do you mean?" I asked, my head tilted to the side.

"He gets angry easily." Jake explained. "Like this one time, I bumped into him and he just yelled at me to watch where I was going!" Embry agreed, apparently the same thing had occurred to him which I could not see happening since he was so shy and quiet around others. It was hard to see anyone yell at something like that, let alone someone yelling at Embry.

But before we could further discuss it, Quil changed the subject to something else which I was thankful for. It felt weird hearing them tell me that about him, and as much as I didn't like angry people that dislike for it didn't stop me from craning my head enough to see him again. He was still staring and when it captured mine, he winked before turning back to his friends. The blush that had been fading from my cheek reheated as I listened to yet another rant from Quil about how much his teachers seemed to hate him.

The bell rang when Quil was about to tell us why he hated social science, promising to tell the rest of the story tomorrow. And since neither of three shared the same period with me, Embry was nice enough to give me fairly simple directions to the classroom - keep going straight until I reach a left turn then make a right and the classroom was supposed to be on my right. As easy as it sounded, it wasn't. That was all due to the group of students that all managed to crowd all at once into the hallway which made it extremely difficult to see for any turns whatsoever, I gave up and allowed everyone else to pass me up. The hallway was clear of any students by the time the final bell rang, and I was lost. I didn't see any upcoming left turns and as far as I could tell I was still by the cafeteria.

"Excuse me?" The voice sounded like a boy. A tap on my shoulder caused me to turn around and face the mystery boy. "Are you lost?"

It belonged to the one and only Paul Lahote.

My cheeks were reheating up, I could feel it as his eyes bore into mine. "Um, sorta, yeah," I said in a small voice. "I know the directions to math and all, but the sea of students sort of mixed me up and I didn't know where to turn so I stayed behind and hoped I'd be able to find it now but I can't." I was rambling. Just great. The heat on my cheeks intensified from embarrassment due to my situation.

He looked amused, a smile appeared on his lips. "Well, today's your lucky day."

My eyebrow arched in curiosity.

"Well, I have math right now." He explained. "So I could show you where it is."

This didn't sound like the Paul my friends were describing. I expected someone who wouldn't care about whether someone was lost or not, but he did. He was actually helping me, which made me question what they told me about him. Maybe he wasn't as bad as they thought he was. He sure as hell acted nice, so maybe his attitude and anger was just a way of hiding a part of himself that he didn't like showing.

"Really?" I smiled, I was definitely accepting this opportunity of help.

He nodded with a smile turned smirk of his own. "Shall we?" He said, indicating with one hand the way toward the classroom while getting a tighter grip on his backpack with the other. "I'm Paul Lahote, by the way."

"Melanie Greene." I answered, and we began walking to math together.

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**Thanks for reading! I'm SO sorry for publishing it halfway finished. :c I didn't know my desktop didn't save what I originally saved and published. So I had to rewrite it.**

**Anyway, expect Chapter 4 by at leas tomorrow or Monday. I PROMISE to have it done!**

**Please review!**


	4. Reconciliation

**Author's Note: Sorry about not updating in a couple of days. I've been busy lately and I just haven't been up to writing until now. Being in emotional turmoil is always the perfect time to get the creative juices flowing. But anyway, here's chapter four! Enjoy! **

**I do not own Twilight. **

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Chapter 4: Reconciliation

The school day seemed to end quicker after Paul walked with me to class. Within that time and the time I had with him during Physical Education as well, I was able to see he was at least 2 inches taller than me with a slim body, much calmer than the guys had described him as, and extremely good with sports. This kid was starting to surprise me more and more. Something told me he was going to be trouble though. A part of me just... felt something for him.

But all the thoughts of school and Paul had come to a halt as I slowly made my way home to my mother. The question I was dreading to ask was on my mind now. Reality had began to seep in instead of the events of school. Except for this morning... How on earth was I going to bring that up? '_Oh mom, the receptionist of my school was upset to know my last name is Uley. Do you know why?_' Then again, I had no other way to phrase it. But honestly, the thing I'm dread more is how she'll react to the question itself. She's never the type to take things lightly or have the ability to comprehend and actually show understanding. She was stubborn. As stubborn as a mule, actually. Any thought or belief she had was correct to her, no matter how ridiculous. And even if someone tried correcting her, she'd be so sure of herself being right. She'd make her point by lashing out. I winced as I remembered a memory of how angry she was when I corrected her about this math problem in 4th grade. Almost subconsciously I began to rub the spot on my cheek where she had enough force to draw blood.

I sighed, taking in as much air as I put out. I had to do this. I needed an answer.

The journey seemed to cut shorter than I realize because before I was even aware of it, I had arrived in front of the small cottage in its already withering glory. The porch was falling apart with its aging wood, the windows were left untouched but the rest of the house was aged. Furnished at least, with white sheets sheathing it from viewing. All in all, you could say it was sturdy but its vibe was different. It didn't have the most welcoming feel, nor was it even close to the other houses in the area. Actually it sat close to the edge of the forest, away from everyone else; its seclusion brought the obvious thought that my father must've been anti-social as well as a slight pang of fear that my mother was aware of its distance from everyone else. And to be frank, I did not trust that one bit, or her for that matter. Which was a no brainer since all my mother has done for me is abuse me - both, physically and mentally.

I entered the still foreign home, "Mom? I'm home from school." Slowly, I made my way towards the kitchen. It was 3 in the afternoon, meaning she would be there drinking no less. But much to my surprise, she wasn't. She was standing by the counter, her 5'5" frame was covered by her blue robe with her dark hair pulled into a messy ponytail. Her usual narrowed brown eyes were relaxed, another new physical feature of hers. Her gaze fixed itself on me.

"How was it?" Her voice sounded expectantly as her brow raised.

"Fine." I answered slowly, contemplating how I should go about asking her of the strange encounter between Miss Allison and I this morning. "This morning was interesting."

She nodded and the look she held told me to go on. I sucked in a small breath and continued, "I bumped into Sam this morning," I said, deciding to start out light instead of going completely abrupt with the question I was itching to ask. She seemed to tense at hearing about Sam, which wasn't too strange but she never really had a problem with him until fourth grade. That day was pretty vague for me, I could barely remember much of it. Probably explaining my lack of recognition in him this morning. Regardless, ever since then I never saw him until now. She continued to nod, waiting for me to go on as she walked towards the cupboards in search of her daily drink something I'm sure she was doing. We barely moved in, so my hope was she didn't have any. It'd be bad if she had alcohol in her system, especially for me since this conversation wasn't going to go well. A pang of anxiety coursed throughout my body and I began to freeze until my mot here's pointed gaze met mine. "He showed me where the office was. And the receptionist, Miss Allison," She tensed up again. "was pretty nice. Kinda weird though."

"What do you mean?" Her voice cautious.

_Here goes nothing._ I thought with a mental sigh.

"Well, she was searching for my schedule on her desk and when she came across it, she reacted weirdly to my last name..." I said, my once strong and confident voice fading into a softer and smaller tone.

"Greene?" She questioned, her brows furrowed at the aspect of one acting oddly toward her maiden name. She took a long swig of her now-found stashed away vodka."Why would she react weirdly to Greene?" Her body now faced me, holding the bottle tightly in her right hand.

I shook my head. "Not Greene, mom." I stated.

She stared at me, glaring actually and took another swig as if it were water."What then?" Her tone impatient and much harsher than it had been earlier. This wasn't going as well as I was hoping it would.

"Uley. She reacted weirdly to Uley." I said in a small voice.

She didn't say anything after the mention of the last name. Instead, she took tensely grasps her vodka bottle, took another swig before setting it down, and sauntered towards me. I knew what was coming. I shouldn't have even bother bringing up the conversation but I did. I thought she would've laid off with the move and all but I was wrong. Her approach felt as if it were coming in slow motion but the sting on my cheek came faster than I expected and I had to take a step back from the intensity. My mother had recoiled her hand backward and slapped me hard before letting her hand drop and a glare form on her already bloodshot eyes.

I clutched my cheek and looked down, tears were on the verge of spilling from the pain.

"Look at me." She spoke dangerously hoarse and I did. "Don't you EVER mention that last name or that fucking 'Miss Allison' again, got it?" She was seething, waiting for an answer. "Or Sam either." The way she said his name as if it were a virus or a terrible disease made my stomach roll in queasiness.

I nodded, biting my tongue to keep the tears from falling. The lump in my throat stayed and that made it harder to keep them in. And before I could control it any longer, a tear fell.

"DON'T FUCKING CRY!" She shouted and I flinched, wiping the tear frantically. "YOU DESERVED THAT AND YOU KNOW IT."

"I-I'm s-s-s-sorry." I stuttered quietly.

She smirked as if she were an Olympic gold medal winner. "You better be." She turned her back on me, walking to get her drink before going into her room. I heard the sound of her door lock from the ensuing silence in the house and I took this opportunity to go straight to my room to access the damage. I even allowed a few tears to escape from the prison of my tear ducts.

Removing my hand from my cheek, I nearly choked at what I saw - blood. She slapped me hard enough to draw blood, this revelation caused my backpack to slip from my arms and I shook it off. I shook off my cardigan, using it to wipe the blood and tears before quickly tossing it into the hamper and running into the bathroom to wash off the blood from my face.

I couldn't see the girl I saw this morning. At all.

The girl I saw had a bleeding cheek with a bright redness that contrasted greatly against my nontraditional olive skin, red almost already puffy chocolate brown eyes that no longer held the same brightness from earlier, and disheveled dark hair all around the frame of my bloodied face. I was a mess. So I quickly washed my face, undid the braids from the top halves of my head, and made my way into my room.

I needed to get out. Even if it were for a little while, I just NEEDED to get out of there. And knowing that woman, she was probably going to finish that bottle then pass out for the rest of the night. So I grabbed a hooded jacket from my closest and my house keys before quickly making my way out of that hellhole of a house and quietly locking the door behind me.

I pulled my hood up and pulling on the strings to tighten its mold to my head, I swiftly trudged my way to the beach. It wasn't far, but it wasn't so close either and that was perfectly fine with me. I needed to think. I just needed to get away.

The beach was the perfect place to do that. It was peaceful and I was happy for the open table that held a perfect view of the ocean as I sat down on top of the tabletop. The cold air stung against my cheeks, causing me to pull my hood closer on and I sighed before looking down at my lap. At this moment, I was glad for the lack of people on the beach due to the downcast turn dark grey clouds hiding any form of sunshine or sun whatsoever because I cried. I let out my held in tears and rocked back and forth with my hands stuffed into my pockets. The wetness slowly making its way toward the end of my face.

The mix of the wind and the roar of the waves muffled any sounds of my cries... and the sounds of footsteps.

"Mel?" A familiar voice spoke with concern and confusion. "What's wrong? Why are you crying? Why are you on the beach?"

I looked up to see Sam. "Sam?" I said, wide-eyed before taking my hands out of my pockets to wipe the tears with my sleeves. "I-I'm o-okay." I mentally cursed for stuttering. He'd know something was wrong for sure. I never stutter unless I'm nervous or scared. I let my hands drop onto my lap when I was sure my face was dry of any moisture.

His brows furrowed, a great contrast to his usual calm expression. "Melanie." His voice grew serious. The tone was familiar, something about it was something I heard before. Many times from the way he used it. "What are you doing on the beach and why were you crying? You're obviously not okay."

I shook my head, not wanting to bother him. "I-it's n-n-nothing." I stuttered again, looking down at my hands.

Sam sighed, taking a seat next to me before rubbing my back. "Mel, don't lie to me." He said gently and I looked up to meet his familiar brown eyes. "I know you aren't okay, so just talk to me. Please. It's just me. I'm still your best friend Sammy." The faint lines of amusement on his lips almost became a smile but his eyes were full of worry, concern, and care. "Please talk to me."

I couldn't bring myself to tell him the reason why my mother slapped me. I just couldn't. I didn't even know how to either. But before I could speak, he spoke again. "What happened to your cheek?"

I tensed, but a part of me already knew I could trust Sam.

The memories of him were beginning to come back and back then he was there for me. He was always helpful to me since he was older and he was always keeping my mother at bay. But that was until fourth grade when he had helped me with my math homework and my mother wanted to check it afterwards, she yelled at me for having the "wrong answers." She even tried making it clear that the answer she came up with was right when she was completely wrong, but of course she wasn't going to have that so she slapped me hard enough to draw blood. Sam was long gone before that event happened that night and she refused to quit banging my head on the desk until I told her she was right. Every memory before that moment and the days before that became hazy, even Sam. Despite his constant presence before what had happened, he was just a blur in my head. I seemingly forgot him after that until now.

But before I forgot about him, he was there. I could trust him. He knew even then, and him knowing now would help me in the long run. I just needed to make sure he wouldn't tell anyone else. I didn't want to be forced to leave, especially not now when I finally had my best friend practically my brother back and three other new friends.

"I think you already know." I said quietly, looking down at the sand underneath the table.

"You mean, you remember?" He asked, his voice thick with emotion.

I nodded. "Most of it has come back." I said, looking back up at him. "I remember you and all those times you were there, everything from before fourth grade has seemed to come back because of you."

He looked hopeful, almost happy. "Really?" He said, but his brows were beginning to furrow. "I'm guessing you forgot because of your mom huh?"

I nodded again. "Yeah, that night after you left, she wanted to check my work and when it was 'wrong,'" I used my fingers as quotations to emphasize wrong. "and I kept saying what I had was right because you helped me, she slapped me hard," I instinctively clutched my cheek. "she even even banged my head on the desk until I said she was right. Which is how, I'm guessing, I forgot about you."

The hand that had been rubbing my back tensed and the look in Sam's eyes held fierce determination. "Mel, I am SO sorry you went through that." His voice full of sympathy. "I promise to take care of you when I'm 18. Your mother's," slight resentment in his voice in saying the word. " is not fit for in there until then. But know I'll always, and I mean always be here for you. I promise."

I almost teared up. "Oh Sammy." I said, hugging him.

He hugged me back. "Lemme know if you need anything alright?"

I nodded. "Just promise me something." I said as we released.

"Anything." He said, his brown eyes look determined.

"Don't tell anyone about what she does, okay?" I said, letting my eyes tell him that there's more to that reason than fear of her. I wanted him to somehow know I feared of losing him from my life again.

He sighed and nodded. "I promise."

* * *

**Thanks for reading! **

**I'm SO sorry for updating so late. I meant to but school and such had me busy. I'll try and update more though.**

**I have do much planned and I can't wait to see this story finished. (:**

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